Indigenous Peruvians are protesting in an attempt to protect their land, which the government plans to give to international oil, logging, and mining companies through Free Trade agreements with the U.S. and other western nations. Lives on both sides have been lost.
I find this to be one of the tragic and upsetting manifestations of our North American tradition of overconsumption and our willingness to feed that insatiable appetite at all costs – especially costs to others. We seem to have a history of strong-arming our way to get what we want, only to leave it in shambles once we are through, destroying lives, communities, and the planet in the process. But hey – whatever it takes to maintain our way of life!
"The needs of the poor take priority over the desires of the rich; the rights of workers over the maximization of profits; the preservation of the environment over uncontrolled industrial expansion; and production to meet social needs over production for military purposes."
-Pope John Paul II. Toronto 1984
Watch a video about the conflict.
Or read a BBC article
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